Healthcare Jobs & Health Care Careers

The 'Freedom' to Refuse Health Insurance

GOP leaders are framing the requirement that every American get health insurance as the gravest assault on our liberty since the British burned the White House in 1814

Older Voters' Disapproval of Affordable Care Act Selfish

The group most vehemently opposed to the health care reforms are folks 65 and older. What this means is that seniors on Medicare are the ones most interested in denying medical security to younger generations

Conservatives May Want to Think Twice About Repealing Obama/Romneycare

If Mitt Romney hadn't decided that he wants the presidency more than personal integrity, he might have savored the victory for a program modeled after the one he helped establish as governor of Massachusetts

Symptoms of a Sick Culture

It's true that culture is more important than politics. But it's also true that politics -- specifically, government -- can change cultures

Why Women Love John Roberts

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the health care mandate may not stop the war on women, but it surely feels good to win such a decisive battle

Will Young America Come Alive in 2012?

While President Obama will win the most young votes, the question is how many will vote?

Voter Apathy is Not a Crime

It's a sure sign someone is losing when he demands that the rules be changed. That might explain the renewed interest in forcing people to vote against their will

Supreme Court Surprise

The Supreme Court's surprising decision to uphold the bulk of Obamacare has dramatically helped President Obama in the continuing fight over it in the 2012 presidential election

Corporations Score Another Supreme Court Victory on Healthcare

It's odd that the debate over the Affordable Care Act has focused on the effect the law will have on the presidential election rather than the impact it will have on patients and health outcomes

Chief Justice Roberts' Choice

Chief Justice John Roberts, in partnering with the Supreme Court's four liberal judges to preserve the bulk of President Obama's health care act, not only handed Obama a victory. He also rescued himself and the court from a shroud of partisanship built up from earlier decisions

Health Care Access Shouldn't Require Good Luck

For me, the Affordable Care Act means that when I graduate from college, I won't have to take a job that I hate to get the health care that I need

Health Care Deja Vu

Now that Chief Justice John Roberts has upheld President Barack Obama's health care law, the chief has fallen off so many conservative Christmas lists that some sound eager to revoke his citizenship

Justice Roberts' Ruling Took Guts

There are substantive arguments in favor of Roberts' reasoning. But as far as I can tell, no one is confident, never mind certain, that Roberts actually believes his own position

Reading Roberts

The Conservative World is up at arms at the effrontery of its onetime hero, Chief Justice John Roberts, in casting his vote with the liberal Supreme Court judges to save the heart of the despised Obamacare

The 'Oprahfication' of America

This is the 'Oprahfication' of America in which feelings trump truth and personal experience and class guilt rule, not the Constitution

The NHS: A guide for Americans under Obamacare

The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) is the best guidebook for Americans concerned where a nationalized health system might take us

Live Free -- And Uninsured

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (aka 'Obamacare'), NPR's 'Talk of the Nation'

Florida Governor's Tenuous Relationship with the Truth

Throughout Rick Scott's governorship, he has had a tenuous relationship with the truth. If facts don't serve Scott's purpose, he revises them until they do

Bait and Switch on Obamacare

When is a tax not a tax? When President Obama says it isn't, or when the Supreme Court says it is?

Justices Uphold Individual Mandate, Set Limits On Medicaid Expansion

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the landmark federal health law, affirming its mandate that nearly all Americans carry coverage and retaining sweeping changes to the health industry

Court's Dissenters Argue That 'Entire Statute Is Inoperative'

In their review of the federal health law, a minority of four justices wrote that they did not believe the law was constitutional. Here are excerpts from the dissent by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito

Health Law Decision A 'Victory For People All Over This Country'

President Obama said the Supreme Court's landmark decision to uphold the health care reform law was a victory for all Americans who will now be more secure because of it

Justice Roberts Says Law's Offer to States on Medicaid 'Is A Gun to the Head'

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the court on the challenge by 26 states and others to the 2010 health care law. Here are edited excerpts from Roberts' opinion

Romney: Health Law Bad Policy, No Matter SCOTUS Decision

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said after the Supreme Court ruling on the health law that though the court said the law wasn't unconstitutional, it didn't say that the law was good policy either

Massachusetts Health Care Reform from the Front Lines

Aside from the numbers, what has it been like to experience the Massachusetts health care system since 2006?

Health Care Jujitsu

With a bit of political jujitsu, President Obama could turn a potential health care defeat into a victory for a single-payer health care system -- Medicare for all

Our Health Care Racket

The purpose of America's health care industry is to provide cozy income to the few at the top while abusing the poorly paid health aides at the bottom and consigning vast swaths of the population to inadequate care

How to Rein In Healthcare Costs

Medicare and Medicaid are zombie entitlement programs that threaten the U.S. fiscal future

White House Confident of Supreme Court Win on Healthcare

The Obama administration's quick appeal to the Supreme Court in defense of its signature healthcare law clearly displays White House confidence that it will ultimately prevail in the case, experts say. Whether that confidence is well-placed, though, remains a matter of opinion

New Democratic Attack for a New Paul Ryan Plan

As if his earlier proposal to reform Medicare didn't give Republicans a bad case of heartburn, a new health reform scheme from Rep. Paul Ryan to rewrite workplace health insurance and provide universal health coverage through tax credits is starting to give the GOP fits

Many Once-Standard Workplace Benefits Disappearing

Employers have significantly cut many of the benefits they offer to workers over the past five years. Here's a look at the workplace perks that have significantly declined

Why the New Health-Care Law Should Have Been Based on Medicare

Two appellate judges in Atlanta -- one appointed by Bill Clinton and one by George H.W. Bush -- have just decided the Constitution doesn't allow the federal government to require individuals to buy health insurance.

How Health Care Can Save or Sink America

Rising health-care costs are at the core of the United States' long-term fiscal imbalance. It is no exaggeration to say that the United States' standing in the world depends on its success in constraining this health-care cost explosion; unless it does, the country will eventually face a severe fiscal crisis or a crippling inability to invest in other areas

How to Get Retiree Health Insurance Before 65

One of the biggest obstacles to retiring before age 65 is finding affordable health insurance. It takes a considerable amount of effort and can be very expensive for early retirees to purchase health insurance. Here are several ways to maintain health coverage until you qualify for Medicare

30 Ways to Cut Health Care Costs

As more insurers raise deductibles and switch from fixed-dollar co-payments to coinsurance -- which bases out-of-pocket expenses on a percentage of the total costs -- you have an incentive to take more control over how much you spend. Take our advice on how to find the least expensive care without sacrificing quality and you could save hundreds, even thousands of dollars

Healthcare Reform Law Requires New IRS Army Of 1,054

The Internal Revenue Service says it will need an battalion of 1,054 new auditors and staffers and new facilities at a cost to taxpayers of more than $359 million in fiscal 2012 just to watch over the initial implementation of President Obama's healthcare reforms

GOP Falling Into the Same Healthcare Trap That Snared Democrats

The Great Healthcare Battle marches on. The Democrats' single-minded push exacted a toll in both presidential approval points and House seats. Voters wondered why the president and Congress were fixated on health care. But now the GOP seems intent on a rematch, oblivious to the fact that they are in danger of falling into the same blinkered state that entrapped the Democrats

Why Congress Should Repeal and Replace the Healthcare Reform Law

Repealing and replacing the healthcare law is about protecting Americans' health security, making care and coverage more affordable, and taking action so that people don't lose the coverage they have. Everybody agrees that healthcare costs are too high. Everybody also agrees that we need to protect those who are sick and need coverage the most. But when it comes to solutions, the paths diverge

Healthcare Reform Law Repeal Would Be Inhumane

When House Republicans scheduled a vote to repeal Healthcare, I reflected upon a 1966 speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the Medical Committee for Human Rights. In that speech, he expressed his concerns about the failings of our healthcare system, stating that, 'Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane'

Preexisting Conditions Common in United States

The Department of Health and Human Services released analysis estimating that 50 to 129 million non-elderly Americans have preexisting conditions. The HHS analysis emphasizes the fact that, under the new healthcare reformlaw, Americans with preexisting conditions cannot be penalized in the form of coverage denial or higher premiums

10 Ways the GOP Can Take Down Healthcare Reform

Republicans won another victory over the healthcare reform law, as a federal judge in Florida declared that a federal requirement to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. He sided with the 26 states that challenged the law, knocking it down in its entirety. With appeals expected, the question over the law's constitutionality will ultimately rest with the Supreme Court. Until then, there's a number of ways the opponents of the law can keep up their fight

Republicans Play Games with Health Care

A funny thing happened on the way to repeal of President Obama's health care reform plan in the House: the vast majority of Americans decided they liked the new plan after all, and didn't want to see it repealed.

After Repeal Vote, Healthcare Reform Fight Goes On

With the Capitol building at their backs conservative GOP House members braced against the icy Washington weather and held an outdoor press conference, urging the repeal of the president's healthcare reform law. But the political theater wasn't for naught, as lawmakers on both sides used the vote to motivate their base and to reset their arguments for a debate over healthcare reform

GOP Attack on Health Care Shows Why Democrats Should Have Pushed Medicare for All

Forget the symbolic vote to repeal health care. Republicans don't have the votes to override Obama's sure veto. The real move happens later, when Republicans try to cut the money needed to implement the law's requirement that all Americans buy health insurance

What Older Americans Stand to Lose if Health Reform Goes Down

The new health care reform bill will be under attack in 2011 in the courts and in Congress. If you're over age 50 but too young for Medicare, you'd do well follow the battles closely. No age group stands to lose more than Americans age 50-64 if the conservative efforts to strangle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its crib succeed

Public Perception Masks Stark Health Care Realities

Americans are confused about how our health care system compares with those of other wealthy democracies. A great many Americans seem to think we have a top-notch system and that poor sods in other places like Britain, Japan and Australia would just as soon trade places with us if only they could. This mass delusion is a big reason why the health care reform law is not more popular

GOP Pushes for Healthcare Reform Repeal

During the midterm election campaign, Republicans of all stripes united under one promise: to repeal healthcare reform. It was a key plank in the 'Pledge to America,' the campaign platform unveiled by House Minority Leader John Boehner , and it became a rallying cry for Tea Party-backed candidates throughout the country

Bi-partisan Proposal Would End Medicare As We Know It

Seniors who were angry about health care reform and Medicare turned out in big numbers for Republicans in the 2010 mid-term elections. But now, the conservative shift seniors helped produce in Washington could set the stage for something that really is worthy of their wrath: the end of Medicare as we know it

The Right Way to Reform Healthcare

What will happen next on healthcare? Right now, the Establishment seems clueless, and yet fortunately, insurgent Establishmentarians, led by Maria Shriver and Sandra Day O'Connor, are breaking with elite orthodoxy, offering a better healthcare solution

Expect Significant Changes During Open Enrollment for 2011 Health Coverage

Expect to see changes in your health insurance plan for 2011 during your employer's open-enrollment season this fall. Employers will be making some changes to their health-insurance plans for 2011 because of health-care reform -- such as offering coverage to children up to age 26 -- and as a way to help control rising health-care costs

Patients Beware: Hospitals Increasing Requiring Cash Up Front

For years, medical facilities have asked patients to hand over their insurance copayments when they sign in. But recently the business office has gotten more demanding. Many institutions, facing a growing mountain of bad debt, are no longer willing to take it on faith that the bills will eventually be paid and are demanding up-front payments in elective or nonemergency situations

Preventive Care & Electronic Medical Records Guidelines Set

New health plans beginning on or after Sept. 23 will have to provide free preventive care. Grandfathered plans are exempt from the requirements, which were ordered in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

New Website Helps You Navigate Health Insurance

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HealthCare.gov makes it easy to learn about all of your personal health-insurance options. The site, created in just the 100 days after the health-care-reform law was passed, launched on July 1.

Prepare For the Rising Cost of Long-Term Care

How much is long-term care expected to cost in 20 to 30 years? I'm in my 50s now and am wondering what the price might be to receive care in a nursing home or my home in the future.

The New High-Risk Health Insurance Pool: Common Questions

One of the provisions of the health-care-reform law to take effect is the $5-billion program to provide coverage for people with medical conditions who've been rejected by private insurers. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a new high-risk pool, was launched in most states on July 1 and is designed to last until insurers can no longer reject people because of their health, in 2014

The Health Care Reform Timeline

On March 23, President Obama signed into law a sweeping reform of the nation's healthcare system. When will the changes that most affect consumers kick in?

Health Care Reform: 10 Frequently Asked Questions

The new health care bill is more than 2,000 pages long -- with hundreds more to come from regulators filling in the details. It will literally take years before all the details are set and everyone can see how the plan will affect their particular situation. But here are 10 commonly asked questions that can be answered now

Health Care Reform and Roth Conversions: Know the Tax Rules

Will health-care reform affect Medicare beneficiaries who convert their traditional IRAs to a Roth?

Two New Medigap Plans to Consider

Two new medigap plans, M and N, will be introduced, and insurers will no longer sell plans E, H, I and J. If you currently have a policy, even if it's Plan E, H, I or J, you can keep it and your coverage won't change. But no matter what plan you have, it may be worthwhile to consider the new plans

Change On the Way for Retiree Health Benefit Programs

If you're retired from a company that provides health insurance benefits, get ready for change over the next few years. Many employers have shed retiree coverage altogether or cut back benefits in recent years due to skyrocketing health care costs. Now, the new health care reform law is stirring up more changes that should start showing up in retiree plans between now and 2013

What Health Care Reform Means for Medicare Drug Coverage

Those with Medicare Part D are among the first who will benefit from health-care reform: They'll receive a $250 rebate check if they reach the doughnut-hole coverage gap in 2010, and the Department of Health and Human Services will provide the first wave of rebates as early as June 15.

How to Find Affordable Long-Term Care

A prolonged illness or chronic condition could end up being one of your biggest retirement expenses. Depending on the level of assistance that you need, there are some inexpensive care options and ways to protect yourself from excessive long-term care costs. Here are a few ways to find affordable long-term care

New Grads and Health-Care Reform

My son is graduating from college this May and doesn't have a job yet. What can he do about health insurance until the health-care-reform law, which permits children to remain on their parents' policies until age 26, takes effect?

Tax On Health Benefits

The value of employee health benefits will be placed on Form W-2 starting with the 2011 one. Does that mean health benefits will be considered taxable income? And could you please explain the 40 percent tax on 'Cadillac' plans?

Improving Health and Health Care in Rural America

Facing a continued shortage of primary-care physicians nationwide, and an especially tight supply in rural areas and small towns, medical schools are making an effort to recruit students to launch long-lasting careers in rural areas. Although 1 in 5 U.S. residents lives in a rural area, just 9 percent of doctors practice there

Republicans Need a Plan B for Health Care

Should Republicans succeed in their attempt to get the new health care legislation overturned on constitutional grounds, what then? No one wants to see the current chaos of selective health insurance and rising treatment costs continue. The best course for opponents of the law is not only to fight for its repeal, but also have a plan ready to take its place.

Obamacare: The Eye of the Storm

There were some big doings in the nation's capital the other celebratory day. A new health-care bill had been passed at last. Whatever its official title, its unofficial one in the headlines was Landmark Health Care Bill. A festive signing was held in the White House with souvenir pens all around. The president couldn't get through his remarks without being interrupted by standing ovations

Health Care Bill - Aroused Vox Populi

In the aftermath of the stormy fight over health-care reform, the clamor has continued and heads are beginning to roll. The latest and most notable casualty is Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, leader of the anti-abortion forces in the late debate, who will not seek reelection in November.

How the Health Care Bill Impacts Retirees

The health reform bill, signed by President Obama, increases Medicare services and reduces some prescription drug costs for seniors. The legislation also creates a voluntary long-term care insurance program and changes the ways doctors and hospitals are paid for providing services to Medicare patients. Here's a look at how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will impact retirees

Keeping Adult Children on Your Insurance Policy

Parents are peppering their insurers with questions about how the new health-care reform law affects their adult children. The law has two provisions of particular interest to parents. One bars insurers from refusing to cover children under age 19 because of preexisting medical conditions. Another allows parents to keep their kids on their family plan even after a child graduates college

Health Care Reform Overhaul: What Happens When

The 2,400-page health care bill will gradually take effect over the next eight years, with many of the more popular provisions kicking in now, and more of the costs coming later. Here's a year-by-year rundown of what happens when

Older Americans Comment on Health Care Reform

I received several notes from people who opposed health care reform, but are beginning to change their minds. Then, of course, several people called me a liar, a socialist or worse. To coin a phrase: People, can we all get along? Here's a sampling of your questions, comments and rants on health care reform

How Health Reform Will Affect Older Americans

Opponents of health reform used smokescreens to frighten older Americans -- conjuring up everything from death panels to dire predictions of slashed Medicare budgets and totalitarian takeovers of hospitals and doctors' offices. But it's really not nice to scare Grandma. So, now that the smoke is starting to clear, let's consider the important benefits in the new law for people over age 50

What Is and Isn't in Healthcare Bill

More than half of Americans, according to a recent poll, say they still don't know what the Democrats' healthcare bill contains. Here's a cursory look at what's in the legislation that the House of Representatives passed -- and what didn't make the final cut.

Obama Must Now Sell Healthcare to Skeptical Public

It's time for another healthcare blitz. President Obama and Democratic leaders have begun a fresh campaign to persuade voters that the healthcare bill passed by the House will make life better for everyday Americans.

After Months of Debate, No Bipartisanship on Healthcare

On July 27, 1965 Congress was on the verge of passing one of the biggest pieces of social legislation in U.S. history, a bill to ensure the elderly access to healthcare. For more than a year, Republicans, led by Wisconsin's John Byrnes, had fought against it. In fact, many critics of Medicare, as the new program would be called, had denounced the idea as socialist.

Reactions to Historic Healthcare Reform

The true 'vindication' of Obama and his healthcare plan will come with the mid-term elections in November. If the Democrats' losses are minimal, then Obama is vindicated. If the Democrats' losses are significant, it will be a repudiation of Obama and his healthcare

DeMint Launches Healthcare Repeal Effort

South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint has wasted no time getting the healthcare reform repeal movement going. Here's what his office just sent us

Healthcare Reform Only Partial Victory for Women

The final verdict on health care will come a year or more from now when insurance companies raise rates to cover all the newly insured. This, I predict, will not be a happy or historic day for middle-class Americans who are already paying for their own health insurance. Nonetheless, healthcare reform is here, like it or not, and I do want to highlight the pros for Women.

Healthcare Passage Helps Democrats in November

Congressional Republicans have taken such an adamant stand against the Democratic healthcare bill because they fear that passage would hurt their chances to recapture Congress in the fall elections, says White House counselor David Axelrod.

The Reality of ObamaCare

Simply, you have nationalized health care by proxy. Insurance companies are now heavily regulated government contractors. Way to get big business out of Washington and our lives! These giant corporations will clear a small, government-approved profit on top of their government-approved fees.

Answering the Call to History

After 14 brutal months, House Democrats, led by their redoubtable Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stepped up Sunday night to pass comprehensive health care reform. Sadly, not one Republican joined in the measure, as the party continued its consistent strategy of obstruction. It is worth dipping beneath the over-the-top rhetoric of the opposition to remember what is in the bill.

Health Care Post-Mortem

Listening to the final floor speeches that followed put into stark relief the key difference between the two parties. The Democrats, as they had been throughout the yearlong process, were fractious but engaged in the debate about how to best deliver health care reform. The Republicans, on the other hand, were so united in refusal to be a serious part of the process.

Obama's Healthcare Focus Is Misguided

By initiating yet another public debate on healthcare instead of focusing on jobs and the economy, the Obama administration has once again gone off message. Almost every poll shows that the economy is, far and away, the major personal worry for most Americans. Unemployment is the singular issue that they feel demands bold, unrelenting, and detailed attention.

Dennis Kucinich: A Relevant Outsider

Over the last two presidential cycles, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio has been a fly in his party's soup. Not content with seeking its nomination himself as the longest of long shots, he has been Dennis the Menace by constantly reminding its other members of their failure to live up to what they profess to believe in.

Medigap Plans Cooking Up New Alphabet Soup

Insurance companies sell Medigap policies to supplement Medicare's basic coverage. Typical policies cover deductibles and co-insurance for long hospital stays, and outpatient services. Medigap pricing varies by region and policyholder age, but the benefits offered are standardized nationally using a series of alphabetical labels for plan types.

Democrats Threaten Reconciliation After Healthcare Summit

Not only did Obama's healthcare summit illustrate the deep divisions between Democrats and Republicans, it also showed that healthcare legislation is hanging by a thread. The administration might try a scaled back bill or might still push for a comprehensive measure by means of 'reconciliation.'

Lost Your Health Insurance? Some Resources

Anyone suffering a job loss will undoubtedly be looking to save money on healthcare. Here are some ideas to consider if you're interested in finding other health insurance coverage or in accessing more-affordable health care

Obama vs. the Insurance Companies

When it comes to health-care reform, is there a single-payer advocate inside Obama yearning to get out? Despite comments to the contrary, the president is creating that impression in his push his reform bill through Congress over fierce Republican opposition. Obama's all-out assault paints health-care insurance companies as irresponsible, greedy monsters preying on middle-class Americans

Obama's Showdown Strategy

One way to look at Obama's late push for health-care reform is as that of a drowning man grasping at straws, as he offers a few more concessions to Republicans, who continue to thumb their noses at him. But if the events of the last days somehow bring about the enactment of the reform legislation Obama seeks, they more likely will be viewed as the culmination of a crafty campaign

Obama Makes Last Push for Healthcare Reform

President Obama has begun his last stand on healthcare. 'Every idea has been put on the table,' he said last week. 'Every argument has been made. Everything to say about healthcare has been said, and just about everybody has said it. I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on healthcare reform.'

Lessons from Obama Health Care Summit

The clearest message from President Obama's health-care reform summit is that if he wants the comprehensive legislation he seeks, he needs to talk more to his fellow Democrats and less to the Republicans. In practical terms, he must concentrate now on how to cash in on the simple majorities he still holds in the House and Senate, rather than waiting for a change in GOP hearts.

Curbing Healthcare Costs

Health-Care Humdrum

The longest week I ever spent was the six hours I spent watching the health-care summit. The better angel of my nature says that this confab is a wonderful spectacle of democracy. Serious men and women airing serious disagreements in a (relatively) respectful and substantive manner. My more devilish side says that this is a debacle par excellence, the policy-wonk equivalent of a show trial

Elitists Aren't All Bad

As President Obama pushes his health care overhaul against Republican objections, the politics are beginning to sound like high school. The president at times lectured to Republicans at his health care summit like a teacher trying to get a point across to hardheaded students. Yet even before the summit various conservative voices were charging 'elitism' and 'condescension.'

Republicans Give Green Light For Reconciliation

The fact that the bipartisan health care summit didn't achieve any bipartisan results should have come as no surprise. Republicans made it clear even before the event, they did not come to play, they came to kill. Four days earlier, President Obama posted his health care proposal online and invited Republicans to do the same. They refused.

The High Cost of Growing Older

No doubt, healthcare will be one of your biggest expenses in retirement. Qualifying for Medicare coverage at age 65 will quell some cost and coverage worries. But although Medicare is far more affordable than private health insurance coverage for seniors, the government health insurance program still leaves retirees with significant out-of-pocket costs.

How Republicans Should Handle Obama's Health Reform Summit

Over Super Bowl weekend, President Obama invited Republicans to join him in a half-day televised summit on healthcare reform later this month. Despite the warnings of some on the right, it's not a mistake to say yes to this invitation. With this healthcare summit, Republicans have a golden opportunity to show their ideas in the best light

Experts speculate about Obama's bipartisan healthcare meeting

Americans are upset about the backroom deals that took place on the healthcare bills. Democrats hope that the health care summit will quiet some of those gripes about transparency. At the same time, the GOP greeted the idea skeptically. Both parties have very strong feelings about healthcare. So the notion that the summit will somehow lead to a bipartisan breakthrough seems pretty wild.

Rehashing Healthcare Talks

Plain and simple, healthcare costs are rising at an unprecedented rate. They will double in a few years. Lack of healthcare reform means death to the afflicted. This is not what we want for America. We finally have a president willing to take on the job, which his predecessors failed to do for 60 years past. Support President Obama

Bipartisan Healthcare Summit: You've Got to Give a Little

At first it seemed like a great idea. President Obama, fresh from good reviews for his appearance at the House Republican retreat two weeks ago, invited Republican leaders to Blair House in Washington for negotiations on a health insurance reform bill. But the essence of negotiation is in its definition

Singing 'Kumbaya' on Health Care Reform

President Obama has summoned Democratic and Republican leaders for a half-day meeting on Feb. 25 to iron out their differences and produce a bipartisan health care reform bill. Now, as a Democrat and big Obama supporter, I know I'm supposed to bounce up and down with glee. But, pardon my lack of excitement, I think the whole thing's a waste of time ...

Planned Bipartisan Summit Just an Infomercial in Disguise

President Obama has invited congressional Republicans to sit down and talk through health care at a 'bipartisan summit' on Feb. 25. Some think it's a little late for such a conversation. After all, the Democrats have built health care policy from the ground up. So Obama invites Republicans to debate the blueprints. Oh, and he wants to debate them, not change them.

Why Americans Oppose Government Run Healthcare

The British Broadcasting Corp. has an interesting take on U.S. voter opposition to healthcare reform. In an online article headlined 'Why do people often vote against their own interests?' the news service tries to explain white middle- and lower-class opposition to healthcare reform.